Fingerspelling / Alphabet

There is an ASL sign for each letter of the alphabet. Fingerspelling, using the signed alphabet to spell words, is quite common. Fingerspelling is used to:

Spell people's names or other proper nouns, such as places or organization names that do not have a designated ASL sign.

Spell words from spoken language that don't have a designated sign, such as slang or profession-specific jargon.

Spell words that you do not know the ASL sign for.

Some people prefer to fingerspell words that have ASL signs, there is nothing wrong with that, fingerspelling can be used as often as one would like.

ASL Fingerspelling Learning Tools

A great place to start learning the ASL alphabet is with this word list of all the letters.

As a Signing Savvy Member, you can use the "Practice with Flash Cards" and "Create Quiz and Test Yourself" tools with this word list to practice and test yourself on the ASL alphabet. Just click on the buttons above to get started. This is a great place to start if you are just beginning to learn the ASL alphabet.

Once you know the individual letters of the ASL Alphabet, you are ready to start putting those letters together to fingerspell. We have the Savvy Fingerspelling Quiz and Savvy Fingerspelling Flash Cards tools to help you practice your receptive fingerspelling skills.